| 1961 Northern Illinois Huskies football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |
| Record | 4–4–1 (3–2–1 IIAC) |
| Head coach |
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| MVP | Tom Beck |
| Captain | Marv Baker, Tom Beck |
| Home stadium | Glidden Field |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Illinois $ | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Illinois | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois State Normal | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Illinois | 3 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Illinois | 3 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Michigan | 0 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 8 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1961 Northern Illinois State Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University as a member of the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) during the 1961 college football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Howard Fletcher, the Huskies compiled an overall record of 4–4–1 with a mark of 3–2–1 in conference play, tying for third place in the IIAC.
The team tallied 2,270 yards of total offense (252.2 yards per game), consisting of 851 rushing yards and 1,419 passing yards. On defense, the Bulldogs gave up 2,343 yards of total offense (260.3 yards per game), consisting of 1,704 rushing yards and 639 passing yards.[1]
The team's statistical leaders included quarterback George Bork with 841 passing yards, halfbacks Mickey Stevens with 225 rushing yards, end Rich Bader with 430 receiving yards, and halfbacks/fullback Gary Starns with 38 points scored.[1]
The team played its home games at the 5,500-seat Glidden Field, located on the east end of campus, in DeKalb, Illinois.